Indianapolis Colts Don’t Take A Break
By Paul Ward
Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
The Indianapolis Colts are still signing players. For most Colts fans it feels as though time is standing still. With the fearless leader absent and in rehab and potentially facing criminal charges, there has been a break from the thoughts of free agents and draft picks.
One person who has not been standing still is Ryan Grigson. Yesterday the Colts signed another free agent. Carson Wiggs is a kicker who is coming to the Colts after being formerly released for the Seattle Seahawks. In college, Wiggs played in Indiana for Purdue. At Purdue he set a record for accuracy making 73.6 percent of all his kicks and placed second overall in school history with 53 made field goals. The downside for him is that he graduated in 2011 and hasn’t kicked officially for any team since.
You may be asking yourself, “Why would the Colts sign a kicker when they just re-signed Adam Vinatieri?” That’s a great question. One answer could be in case of injury. If anything were to happen to Vinatieri between now and the regular season, they would have a backup in place. Another reason might be to lighten the load from Vinatieri during the preseason to minimize the chance of injury.
It’s difficult to see the Colts actually keeping him on the roster through the rest of the season. That is, unless they are significantly concerned about the risk of injury to Adam Vinatieri.
A move like this does bring into question how much the Colts organization trusts Pat McAfee to assume a kicking role. McAfee has been very open and even eager when it comes to his desire to kick once Vinatieri no longer will or is able. If the Colts bring on another kicker as a potential backup replacement it may mean that they aren’t committed to the idea of McAfee kicking or that they don’t yet trust him to be a good replacement.
If nothing else this will provide a good opportunity for Wiggs to get experience and exposure. Maybe he can even learn a thing or two from the Colts own future hall of fame kicker.